Resilient tubing made from plastic or rubber is extensively used, for example, in the medical field for conveying fluids to and from patients. In the administration of intravenous liquids and in central veneous catheter applications, for example, it is often necessary or desirable to temporarily clamp the tube or catheter connected to a vein to close it for such purposes as disconnecting and reconnecting another source of intravenous liquid or for introducing medicaments into the tube. Tube clamping devices are, of course, used for many other medical applications.
Many types of tube clamping devices are well known, however, many such devices have certain undesirable features associated with them. In some cases, tube clamps were made such that the tube associated with it had to be inserted longitudinally or end first into holes in the tube clamping device. This meant that the clamp had to be applied prior to the insertion of the tubing into the patient or prior to the insertion of fittings or other devices to opposite ends of the tubing. Such clamping devices could not be installed after the tubing was connected in a fluid system and functioning to transfer fluid without interrupting the flow of the fluid in the system to disconnect a part of the system. Thus, such clamps were often applied during manufacture.
In many medical systems, especially where the tubing, such as a catheter, is maintained in operation over a relatively long period of time, such as hours or days, tube clamps may be repeatedly opened and closed a substantial number of times. Such repeated clamping operations have caused the tubing in some cases to become scuffed and result in a break in the sidewall of the tubing and fluid leakage. Tape has been applied around tubing with the clamp placed over the tape so as to prevent the tubing from breaking due to repeated clamping operations. Also, tube repair kits have been provided in order to repair tubing should an opening in the sidewall occur due to repeated clamping operations. Such tape and kits add to the cost of the apparatus, and additional time and work are required to prevent tube abrasion and the need to repair worn or leaking tubing. The danger of damaging the tubing walls and effecting a fluid leak while the tubing is connected with a patient is increased where the desired or required tubing is formed of a relatively soft material which is subject to wear, such as silicone rubber tubing or the like.
In order to avoid or reduce the chance of tubes or catheters wearing in areas as a result of repeated tube clamping operations, an outer protective tube or sleeve has been employed in some cases. The catheter or tube is threaded end first through the sleeve and the clamp before connectors or other elements are connected to the ends of the tube. Such protective sleeves cannot be applied to the tube after the tube is functioning to carry fluid unless the fluid flow is interrupted in order to install the sleeve on the tube. Also, it is difficult to clean the tubing sleeve and clamp for aseptic purposes because of the difficulty in removing the sleeve and clamp from the tube.